10 Best Pirate Games That Let You Captain a Ship

Filled with tales of battle and glory, the world of pirates has inspired many motion pictures, novels and video games. The exotic islands of the Caribbean, the emerald sea and the golden treasures are some of the main elements that come to mind when thinking about a life of piracy, but besides these beauties, there is also war, blood and plunder. If you find this combination suiting, then you might also like our list with 10 of the best pirate games that let you feel like the most daring ship captain that ever lived!

Pirates of the Caribbean In Pirates of the Caribbean, the player takes the role of Captain Nathaniel Hawk and goes on numerous quests on behalf of any of the countries that control the islands of the Caribbean in the 17th century. This action role-playing video game offers quite a lot in terms of gameplay variety, the player character being able to buy ships, recruit a crew of loyal officers and fight together in complex naval battles, complete with wind mechanics and the possibility of changing ammo type.

Pirate101 This massively multiplayer online role-playing game allows players to assume the roles of daring pirates who set out on various quests to find treasures and fight various enemies. The gameplay is extremely varied, taking command of a ship, engaging in turn-based battles and befriending companions being just some of the available in-game activities. Pirate101 can be enjoyed either as a free-to-play title or a subscription based one, its immense cloud world being open to anyone.

Age of Booty In Age of Booty, the gameplay mainly revolves around steering a boat around a sea composed of hexagons also called Hexes, the players controlling their ship by selecting a Hex as a destination. With a map design that reminds us of tabletop titles, such as Catan, this downloadable real-time strategy video game may seem a little simplistic but it’s, in fact, quite a pleasant and moderately complex trip across the oceans. With various types of resources, in-game objectives and ship attributes, Age of Booty is a pirate themed title worth trying.

Blood and Gold Caribbean Based on the significantly improved Mount & Blade: Warband engine, Blood and Gold Caribbean is an open-world RPG with economic strategy elements included. It takes place in the XVII Century Caribbean area and it offers an immense diversity of in-game activities, including but not limited to, leading your own fleet, becoming a mercenary, getting enslaved and working in a mine, declaring war on Spain and rushing into naval battles. So, as you can see, there are definitely plenty of gameplay options to choose from.

Man O’ War: Corsair Based on a tabletop game, Man O’ War: Corsair includes elements of high adventure, naval combat and exploration, the players roaming freely across the oceans from the Warhammer universe. Your role, as a mighty pirate, is to lead your fleet into battle, plunder as many ships as possible, fight sea monsters and become a real legend in the process. As a captain you are able to buy a variety of sailing vessels, each with its own features, and use them to visit the over 50 ports that are availabe, from Erengrad to Sartosa.

Windward A game best enjoyed with friends, Windward is a multiplayer sandbox game that takes place in a procedurally generated world. The player is in control of a ship sailing the high seas, making deliveries for different towns and fighting off the pirates that want to plunder their vessel. By building a fearsome reputation, you will become the most well-known captain and all of your enemies will stay out of your path.

Sid Meier’s Pirates! Separated into several mini-games that require different skills, Sid Meier’s Pirates! also features a sailing map mode where players navigate around the iconic Caribbean islands looking for missions. The gameplay encompasses a huge variety of actions, including sailing, trading, engaging in naval combat, capturing ships, sword fighting and even dancing. With a very rich list of in-game activities, Sid Meier’s Pirates! is one of the most iconic and beloved buccaneer games ever released.

Blackwake Blackwake is a multiplayer naval FPS video game that is mainly focused on team work and cooperation, the player being able to join a pirate crew or take up the role of the ship’s Captain and lead his team into battle. Up to 16 real players led by another player have to work in perfect synergy and man the cannons, patch holes in the ship, repair sails, pump out water and fire at the enemy ships that are approaching. Blackwake really offers all the authentic pirate thrill packed up in a highly immersive video game.

Sea of Thieves

Credit: Rare

Sea of Thieves is an upcoming 2017 action-adventure video game where the players have the ability to write their own stories using in-game tools and resources, as stated by the game’s developers. The player joins a crew and takes the helm of a pirate ship, steering it around the sea by coordinating with the whole team of sailors. Some other gameplay elements include hunting for treasures, gathering resources to craft equipment and engaging in battles. Sea of Thieves looks really promising and we can’t wait to get our hands on this innovative pirate themed title.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Set during the Golden Age of Piracy and following the story of the notorious Welsh pirate Edward Kenway, Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is definitely the most famous title when you think of pirate based video games. Unlike the previous titles of the franchise, Black Flag offers a gameplay focused on naval exploration, Edward Kenway being the captain of the Jackdaw, a brig he captures from a Spanish fleet. The massive open-world is one of the big pluses this game has to offer, the players being able to roam freely across the three main cities of Havana, Nassau and Kingston.